Socket organizers

[bodyguy16]

Vim socket organizer for me, nothing fancy but very effective.
http://www.tooltopia.com/vim-v444.aspx



Old picture..

 

[Mastermind]

I have one of those vim racks as well. Loaded with all my 3/8 impact sockets. Love it. That's a lot of sockets. 8-24 shallow and deep, no skips, 10-19 deep and shallow swivels, and 8-19 mid depth. And adapters and swivels.
And I have Hansen trays and rails.

 

[jptbay]

I like the Kobalt socket trays from Lowes. Have 8 of them in my box.

Mix and match drives sizes by sliding clips on and off. Ball detent holds well.

 

[lightning02]

I like the Kobalt socket trays from Lowes. Have 8 of them in my box.

Mix and match drives sizes by sliding clips on and off. Ball detent holds well.

How much was that?

 

[53chevy5]

sweet, that is just what i am looking for! I have learned I like the detent ball style the best . I really wanted them all on one tray as I like to grab the whole set at once and put it into the pickup when I go on service calls.

 

[Rossco]

I organize with tool control foam. Only a slack handful required to complete. More Metric vs Imperial but that's the way of the World.



All SO.

 

[drink]

Thanks for showing the Lowe's rails. Are they expensive or a good deal? They look like the Craftsman rails I have but much longer. I also have some long and short ones made by Armstrong. These are what you refer to as the ball detent version.

I also use several other methods of storing sockets.

 

[drink]

I just realized the Lowe's version appears to be fastened to a steel tray. Do they sell just the rails with studs?

 

[Two Door]

The Lowes four-rail setup goes for right at $25. They have some long magnetic rails with the same clips, but they are pretty expensive for what they are - I want to say about $18 for a 17" rail. I don't remember whether they have just the plastic rails as mounted on the metal setup.

 

[Dookie2122]

I just realized the Lowe's version appears to be fastened to a steel tray. Do they sell just the rails with studs?

No, but the rivets holding the rails onto the metal "tray" should drill out easily.

 

[lightning02]

The Lowes four-rail setup goes for right at $25. They have some long magnetic rails with the same clips, but they are pretty expensive for what they are - I want to say about $18 for a 17" rail. I don't remember whether they have just the plastic rails as mounted on the metal setup.

do you have one like pictured above? i need measurements since lowes doesnt list any on there site. i have a area in my socket drawer i want to see if it will fit in there before i buy one.

 

[lilcraigford]

Here is my post in another thread, regarding the ball detent plastic rails: Plastic socket rails

VIM (USA) is the OE for Armstrong, Craftsman, Matco, Wright and SK. The rails from Harbor Freight/Pittsburgh (China) are said to be pretty much identical except for country of origin and quality. There is an older thread discussing the Harbor Freight/Pittsburg rails here: Craftsman vs. Harbor Freight...

 

[jptbay]

do you have one like pictured above? i need measurements since lowes doesnt list any on there site. i have a area in my socket drawer i want to see if it will fit in there before i buy one.

Dimensions are 17 x 5.5 inches.

 

[lightning02]

Dimensions are 17 x 5.5 inches.

thank you

that 17 with or without the handle?

 

[jptbay]

Or, try Nepros rails from Japan. 3 lengths in 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2". I haven't tried personally, but they look first rate, and Nepros is known for quality. Read the Nepros thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65409&highlight=nepros

https://nepros.net/

 

[jptbay]

thank you

that 17 with or without the handle?

Not including handle. I leave the handle sticking up when there in my drawer.

 

[lightning02]

Not including handle. I leave the handle sticking up when there in my drawer.

ok good. that fits perfect in that area i need it. ill be take the handle off the one i get.

 

[nickc12]

I second the Lowes racks! I have two of them and organized them in descending order!
2-1/2"
4-3/8"
2-1/4"
I love those things to death!


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[ChrisPace]

I use tool control foam as well to organize the 299 piece USA craftsman set.








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[Colin Len]

I cannot stand the "rail" type socket holders anymore, I grew up using them because that's what my dad used. A friend (bus mechanic) turned me on to the Hansen style trays and I haven't looked back. I prefer them because of the ease of grabbing and putting back sockets. The only downside is that if you wanted to pull out a whole bunch of sockets you can't just grab the whole tray and remove it from the tool box the same way you can a rail. Well, you can, but it's not very convenient.

I opted for HF trays instead of Hansens due to the price. I also bought more than I needed and trimmed them to fit my box, cut off the parts I didn't need (for sizes I don't have)...etc They work great.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-pc-metric-socket-trayorganizer-68102.html

I wish I had a current pic of my box, all I have is an old pic from when I got my first set of the HF trays but since then my tool box has grown/changed a lot. I'll admit that I do still use some rails though, they're cheap and convenient for organizing some of the stuff that doesn't fit the trays as well (small assortments of hex, torx...etc).

 

[theoldwizard1]

Thanks for showing the Lowe's rails. Are they expensive or a good deal? They look like the Craftsman rails ...

Yes, they do ! I have all my sockets on them.

Those are a much better deal than the Craftsman ones as they are much longer. I would take them off of the backer. Sears does sell the individual clips if you need more.

 

[Rossco]

Chris: The Craftman Beds look great.

Six-Point: Yeah that bed needs allot of work. For instance, you should flip a socket row so Large sockets are next to the small ones. Also need to group the handles closer so the cut out for pulling the tools are all one. Beware of the Bed software, it will give the impression that the tools are closer than they really are.

Email me if you need any help / advice [email protected]

Been there, done that.

 

[ChrisPace]

I organize with tool control foam. Only a slack handful required to complete. More Metric vs Imperial but that's the way of the World.



All SO.

Who makes the Snap On organizers?

 

[Rossco]

Who makes the Snap On organizers?

I designed that bed myself around 5-6 year ago. Toolbed.com out of Germany.

Same software Six-point has posted above. Probably allot more templates now.

That's a KRL deep draw my sockets are in.

 

[ChrisPace]

I have some snap on organizers too


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[Rossco]

I have some snap on organizers too

[/QUOTE]

Right on. Them yellow hard handles look great in there.

I got a similar bed but cannot post pictures.

 

[lattimer17]

I like my Hansons

 

[Krolik]

I bought a large sheet of PTEG and a bunch of harbor freight rails and riveted them in. As I accumulate I can either add rails, move rails, cut rails down, etc. with just drilling small holes into the sheet and riveting the rail in place.

It reflecting offers a pretty cool view when I open the drawer. Granted there are no size labels, but it's organized for my use and I know where it all is, so who cares haha





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[kythri]

If you like the plastic rails (I love those things), check out Carlyle's offerings.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4820724&postcount=6

 

[lilcraigford]

If you like the plastic rails (I love those things), check out Carlyle's offerings.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4820724&postcount=6

Are the current NAPA/Carlyle rails made in Taiwan? I wonder if they come from the same manufacturer as the Husky rails.

 

[kythri]

I'll try to check my stash later and see if there's any markings. I would imagine that they are - most of the Carlyle stuff seems to be Taiwanese-sourced rather than Chinese-sourced.

 

[johndeereman]

A combo of hansen rack's and gearwrench rails

 

[Ainsley]

I've been working on setting up my new chest with Ernst socket boss organizers.

 

[shortykorte]

I've been using Hanson for about 10 yrs. I have them for all three drives, SAE and mm. I like that they are ez on, ez off and I can take a tray if need be. Also they probably have the smallest footprint of most org solutions.

I started with the metal rails. Ok if that's all you got. I still use these for my impact, but prefer something different. Big swap meet next weekend so Hansons for the impacts. Tried a flexible rail, better but not ideal. I'll stick with what works great for me, the Hanson.

 

[Ainsley]

Got my sockets mostly organized in my Ernst rails. Still gotta find a home for the 1/2" ratchet, extension, and adaptors.

 

[Tech89]

I use Ernst socket rails. Works great for me.


-Pat

Sent from somewhere in Minnesota

 

[martin666]

Have around 50 socket sets, I use almost every kind of organizer there is. This is an example of each different type. By far my favorite is the MTS's, followed by the Ernst boss. Least favorite is the Hansen one, thing just feels cheap and couple sockets don't fit on the peg, won't be buying any more of those

 

[Yv.]

I use a mixture of socket rails some plastic some metal both work fine for me.

 

[16again]

These just came. Westling Machine. Can't wait to set them up.

 

[Two Door]

Are the current NAPA/Carlyle rails made in Taiwan? I wonder if they come from the same manufacturer as the Husky rails.

From my research, the following are the same:

Carlyle
Husky
Kobalt (aluminum rail and 4 row rack)
Performax (Menards)
Mighty Seven
Performance Tool
Capri
Sealey
Koken

Kobalt also sells plastic rails with clips which are different from those above, but match:

Vim
Wright
Armstrong
Matco
SnapOn
Craftsman
Goliath